5 killed by rain-caused flash floods in southeastern area

At least five people were killed and several others missing in torrential rains that hit southeastern South Korea Monday, anti-disaster officials said.

A record rain, which measured up to 130 millimeters per hour, poured in the port city of Busan and nearby regions in South Gyeongsang Province Monday afternoon, setting off landslides, swamping houses and cars, suspending rail services and even temporarily halting the operation of a nuclear power plant.

A destroyed bus drifts to a stop against a bridge in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, Monday. (Yonhap)

A 50-something year-old woman and a teenage girl were killed as their car was stuck in a flooded underground road in Busan. A 60-year-old woman was also found dead after being swept away in floodwaters in an alley in the city.

Another woman, 53, was killed as her car was submerged by a sudden flow of water on a street.

In Changwon, about 80 kilometers from Busan, a bus lost control and tipped over into flooded streams. The body of a women believed in her 30s or 40s was recovered, while at least four others remained missing.

Rains of up to 270.5 millimeters fell in Changwon as of Monday afternoon, according to weather officials. (Yonhap)